Bath and Bodyworks Aromatherapy Foam Gels

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Hi ho chummos!

I've been meaning to do a post on these gels for about a week now, but I wanted to make sure that I had tested all of them thoroughly before I went off and raved about a crap product. Fortunately, that is not the case! Actually let's clear the air here. I'm not so much raving about these, as I am reviewing them. On with it, you say? Right-o.

As a shower gel: The thing that amazed me most about these gels, besides the fact that they foamed up extremely quickly in the loofah (side note: is that not the grossest word ever? uggh), was that a little bit went such a LONG way. The first time I used one of these gels, I squeezed out what I thought would be an appropriate amount. Wrong. I needed way less than I usually do with other shower gels, and the foam actually feels rather luxurious and soothing. I also noticed (and this is a definite "wow" factor for me) that the scent actually lasted pretty strongly on my skin, although not for more than about thirty minutes. For whatever reason, scents don't really last on my skin much past the shower, so I was pretty pleased with that result.

As a bubble bath: When testing these gels in the bath, I was very pleasantly surprised when I saw tons of foam in the tub. I say I was surprised because usually these "2-in-1" shower gel/bubble bath-type products are lacking in at least one of those departments. Not the case here. I mean, you really get a lot of foam. With each bath I had, I poured the gel into the running water for about 3-5 seconds. I found I could really smell the essential oils whilst I soaked (which is another bubble bath rarity for me), and to add to it, I could even feel them. So, top marks there.

It might just be me, but aren't the backs of these so much nicer looking than the fronts?

All that being said, there was something that I really didn't like about them: the scents. Yes, I realize how idiotic that sounds. Now don't get me wrong, I will continue to use these until I've finished them, however the scents I purchased are definitely not ones I would have bought had I smelled them in-store (I got these online before I realized that I actually live near a BBW store). To add to it, I didn't really feel the aromatherapy benefits, but what can you do, it's not marketed as a miracle product. All of the gels that I purchased were actually very generously scented, and even thought I didn't particularly love the notes in each of them, I always appreciate a stronger scent over a weaker one.

Scent Run-down:

1. Energy: Orange Ginger - I found this very woody and spicy, almost masculine in a way. It claims to be uplifting, to release tension and sharpen the senses. It contains orange peel oil, ginger root oil, and aloe leaf juice, among others.

2. Stress Relief: Eucalyptus Spearmint - When you smell this gel, you get mostly eucalyptus, which is very fresh, and also tends a bit toward the masculine. In use, you can feel and smell the mint a lot more. I have to say this is my favorite of the three that I've tried because the smell is semi-soothing. This one claims to be uplifting as well, and says it helps to clear the mind. It contains eucalyptus leaf oil, spearmint leaf oil, and aloe leaf juice, among others. Come to think of it, it could be the aloe that's making these all smell masculine..

3. Sleep: Night time Tea - This one sounded the most appealing to me, and is the only one I have used as only a bath gel. However, I find the scent kind of off-putting in that it reminds me of the kind of cleaning fluid they would use at the schools I attended growing up. Not necessarily something I want to be bathing in! It also reminded me of a Thymes lotion I had once, that I think had eucalyptus in..? Whatever the case, I didn't like the lotion, and I don't think they make it anymore. This gel has cedarwood and orange essential oils in it, and claims to be calm and comforting "like tea before bedtime". Nah, not for me.

Well, if you made it this far, bravo! I know this has been a long post, but I wanted to include as much information as possible because incidentally, there is a sale going on on BBW's website (isn't there always) where if you buy two of these, you get one free.

Let me know if you've had a different or similar experience with any of these products. What are your favorite products that claim to have aromatherapy benefits? Phew! Well, as always, thanks for reading.